Samhap janggwa, (three braised delicacies)

Samhap janggwa (Institute of Traditional Korean Food)

Samhap janggwa is a dish of three kinds of seafood (mussels, abalone and sea slug) braised with beef and seasonings. Nowadays, the seafood is cooked alive, but in olden days it was dried then cooked after soaking in water because the amino acid and taurine content increases during drying and enhances the taste.

Ingredients

● 160g abalone, 5 cups water

● 60g soaked sea slug

● 100g mussels, 3 cups water, 2 tsp salt, 2 cups seafood scalding water, 1/2 tsp salt

● 50g beef (top round)

● seasoning sauce : 1/2 tsp soy sauce, 1/2 tsp sugar, 1 tsp minced green onion, 1/2 tsp minced garlic, 1 tsp sesame salt, 1 tsp sesame oil

● braising sauce : 1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce, 1/2 tsp ginger juice, 2 1/2 tbsp honey, 1/2 cup water

● 1 tsp sesame oil

● 1 tsp pine nuts

1. Clean the abalone with the brush and wash. Take out the flesh and remove entrails. Slice them into 4 cm-wide, 3 cm-long and 0.5 cm-thick, maintaining the shape.

2. Wash the soaked sea slug and halve it lengthwise, then cut it into 2.5 cm cubes.

3. Cut the whiskers from the mussels and gently rinse in salt water.

4. Clean the beef and cut into 3 cm-wide slivers. Season with seasoning sauce.

5. Prepare pine nut powder.

6. Pour water into the pot, heat it up for 2 minutes on high heat. Scald the abalone, sea slug and mussels each for 30 seconds.

7. Put braising sauce into the pot, heat it for 2 minutes on high heat. When it boils, lower the heat to medium, continue to boil it for another 7 minutes. When the braising sauce is reduced, put the beef and braise for 2 minutes. Add abalone, sea slug and mussels and braise for 3 minutes with sprinkling broth to set a gloss on. Mix them with sesame oil together.

8. Place on a dish and top with pine nut powder.

Tip
Braise seafood on medium heat slowly or it may become tough.

(Adapted from Institute of Traditional Korean Food)